Co-variation between climate signals and breeding phenology of high-arctic breeding kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla)

• Main Author: Fridtjof Mehlum
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2006
• Subjects: climate change; Svalbard; kittiwake; breeding phenology; North Atlantic Oscillation; Arctic; Ossian Sarsfjellet; Arctic birds; Climate change; Kongsfjord*; Kongsfjorden; Memoirs of National Institute of Polar Research; North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation; Polar Research; rissa tridactyla
• Online Access: https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_uri&item_id=2507; http://id.nii.ac.jp/1291/00002507/; https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=2507&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1

Climate changes in the Arctic may have important consequences for the breeding of Arctic birds, though few studies are available to evaluate the possible effects. I studied the breeding phenology of kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) breeding at two colonies (Krykkjefjellet and Ossian Sarsfjellet) in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard (79°N). Eleven years of data (in the period 1970-2001) from Krykkjefjellet showed no long-term temporal trend in the timing of hatching. The spread of the median hatching date among the years was 14 days. The median hatching date was negatively correlated with the local average April ambient temperature. Correlation analysis with large-scale climate indices showed that the time of hatching was negatively correlated with the Scandinavia index in late winter (February and March), and slightly (but not statistically significantly) negatively correlated with the NAO (North Atlantic Oscillation) winter-index. A similar analysis of the number of breeding kittiwakes in study plots at Ossian Sarsfjellet showed a positive correlation between the number of breeders and average local March temperatures. These observations indicate that the kittiwakes may be able to adjust their spring arrival and breeding phenology to local or large-scale climate variations.key words: climate change, Svalbard, kittiwake, breeding phenology, North Atlantic Oscillation